Can You Stress a Baby 14 Weeks in the Womb

March 12, 2022 Post a Comment

Stress During Pregnancy

Medically Reviewed by Shari Lusskin, M.D.

on January 25, 2022

If you're like most people these days, your life is enough stressful. Wondering what all that stress means for your pregnancy? Read on …

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Pregnancy can be a stressful time for even the most relaxed moms-to-exist. Happily, your pregnancy and babe won't be impacted if you're experiencing but the typical, everyday stress. Which means you don't accept to stress out about any stress you might be feeling.

Simply also much long-term, severe stress tin accept its toll on you lot, your pregnancy and your baby. Here'south what y'all demand to know almost stress during pregnancy.

Emotional stress during pregnancy

Many changes happen during the nine months of pregnancy. Between the pregnancy hormones that do a number on your moods, the prep work necessary for babe's arrival, and worries almost labor and delivery, it's no wonder you're feeling just a tad chip stressed while meaning.

The ongoing pandemic has besides added an actress layer of stress for most people, meaning or not. (Be sure to talk to your practitioner about the risks of COVID-nineteen during pregnancy.)

Feeling stressed is extremely common and par for the pregnancy grade. The good news: Not all stress is bad, and some stress may even be good. It can assistance you get through challenging times, and keep you on your toes so you're motivated to take the best possible care of yourself and your baby-to-be.

Symptoms of stress during pregnancy

Meaning or not, a body under stress experiences physical and chemic changes. Some of the most common symptoms of stress during pregnancy include the following:

An increase in cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, whether you're enlightened of it or not
An increase in middle charge per unit or eye palpitations
Headaches
Back pain
Tummy upset
Teeth grinding
Difficulty concentrating
Excessive fatigue
Difficulty sleeping
Loss of ambition
Overeating
A feeling of worry, frustration, anger or sadness
Loss of interest in being around other people
Excessive need to be around other people, or feeling scared to exist alone

Effects of stress during pregnancy

While some stress is normal and salubrious, too much stress or unchecked stress can affect your health, your pregnancy and your baby.

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For instance, if you lot have high levels of stress, you may turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, like alcohol, smoking, drugs (like marijuana) or unhealthy eating.

Besides much stress tin can also lead to feet and/or low — mental wellness conditions that could impact your pregnancy and your general well-beingness.

High levels of stress can also exacerbate any chronic conditions you have likewise equally make yous more susceptible to illnesses. And if your stress levels remain high for a long fourth dimension — say throughout your pregnancy and across — it could possibly lead to high claret pressure and heart affliction.

Tin can stress during pregnancy injure my infant?

Regular, everyday stress during pregnancy, such as stressing to brand a work borderline or cease the nursery, won't hurt your babe.

Only farthermost (operative word here: extreme), chronic and long-term stress tin, in some cases, increase the risk of:

Miscarriage
Preterm delivery
Low birthweight baby
Developmental delays

Babies born too shortly or too small-scale can face more complications than full-term, normal-weight newborns.

Tips for managing stress during pregnancy

Learning how to handle your stress during pregnancy should be a top priority for all moms-to-be. So accept a deep breath and try some of these stress-busting strategies:

Talk information technology out. While it may seem like you lot're the but pregnant person to experience freaked out nigh, say, facing labor, you lot're far from lonely. In fact, many expectant mothers are probably thinking the verbal aforementioned thoughts you are. So reach out to women who are significant or are at present new parents. Friends, relatives, conversation groups and bulletin boards are all great resources when y'all're looking to vent. Sharing your feelings and finding agreeing mates can help you lot get a handle on stress during pregnancy.
Get Zen. All those ways you minimized stress earlier pregnancy can come in handy now that you're expecting. Meditation, deep animate, yoga or even a brisk walk are merely some of the means y'all tin can lower cortisol levels and boost endorphins — known every bit "feel-proficient" brain chemicals — to meliorate your mood. Find any relaxation technique works for you and make it part of your routine. Demand help relaxing? Treat yourself to a prenatal massage and permit the stress become rubbed away.
Ask for a hand.If yous're feeling overwhelmed, enlist friends or family members to assist you fix the nursery, stock upward on diapers or pick up that handbag of hand-me-downwardly maternity clothes your pal is giving yous. In other words, if there's a task y'all tin subcontract out, don't hesitate to ask for a helping hand. You'll probably find that people are more than happy to help y'all, and that in itself should brand you lot feel less stress during pregnancy. After all, how tin can you exist expected to lug infant article of furniture when you're already conveying a mini-me in your tum?
Rest up. The right amount of sleep can help you non only recharge but also regenerate. Likewise little sleep can increase stress levels, and make coping with any stress you already take more stressful. So intermission the stress-sleeplessness-stress cycle by working to go your full night's sleep each night. A warm bath, a cup of chamomile tea and some soothing music can help y'all get into the sleepy zone.
Eat right. With and so much going on in your life right now, you may not exist focused on taking good intendance of yourself. But treating yourself well, which includes staying hydrated and eating well, will go along your free energy up and your anxiety levels down — exactly what you demand to fend off stress during pregnancy. What if y'all can't observe the time to brand nutritious meals? Go along easy-to-catch snacks for yourself in your cupboard and fridge, such as cord cheese and whole wheat crackers, infant carrots and hummus, or yogurt and an apple tree. If salubrious food is readily available, you'll be a lot more probable to chow downwardly on the good stuff.
Piece of work information technology out. With a workout, that is. Exercise is ane of the best stress busters there is, since working out boosts experience-good endorphins and lowers stress levels. Just be sure to bank check with your doctor nigh what types of exercises you can safely do.
Cutting dorsum. If you're doing too much and y'all're stressed about that, cut back — or at least prioritize. Say no to new projects at work if you lot can, ignore the bound cleaning project you lot were hoping to practice, and forget well-nigh the crafts you were thinking of DIYing. Postpone them for at present so your schedule is less hectic and you can find fourth dimension to….
Stop and olfactory property the … babies. Every time your heed starts to race with your list of baby to-dos and you lot find your blood force per unit area rising, simply … cease. Instead, think about some of the reasons you lot're happy you're having this babe. Whether information technology'southward considering you can't wait to dress him upwards, you love that sweet baby olfactory property or you were born to exist a mom, revel in those happy thoughts. You take all those things to await forrard to. And you know what? Well-nigh of your to-dos volition get done eventually — even if some of them get done after the baby is built-in. (You'd be surprised past how few essentials yous truly demand before your newborn arrives.) So instead of drowning in a sea of stress during pregnancy, take some much-needed time to focus on the joy your new baby will bring you.

When to call the medico about stress during pregnancy

If you lot starting time to feel worry and anxiety that you can't shake, let your practitioner know. If you lot're losing sleep every night, have lost your appetite for an extended flow of time, or if your stress has atomic number 82 to unhealthy behaviors, call the doctor. Pregnancy anxiety or depression should exist treated, so don't filibuster sharing your feelings with your OB/GYN or midwife.

The bottom line: Don't stress out about regular, everyday stress when you're pregnant, but do take steps to relax and take care of yourself. It'll help both you and your infant during your pregnancy.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author ofWhat to Expect When You're Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic inquiry institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we continue our content authentic and upward-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

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